Call for restaurants to display calories for all food items

London
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Should every food item sold in every restaurant, cafe and cinema have the total calorie count value listed alongside side? This is the view of council leaders in Britain.

The call for all calories to be displayed for food and drink has come from the Local Government Association, which represents local councils in the U.K. At present, the councilors are pressing for a voluntary agreement.

The idea is already being phased in the U.S., although here it will be mandatory. Here U.S. health authorities have given large restaurant chains until the end of 2016 to have calorie counts placed on menus.

Talking to BBC News, Izzi Seccombe, who heads up the Local Government Association's community well-being board, is quoted as saying: "We are calling on cinema, restaurant and pub chains to step up and show leadership in tackling the obesity crisis, by providing clear and graphic signs at counters and on menus."

She also added: "In many cases, people are unaware of how many calories they are consuming. Food and drink outlets should be doing more to provide clear and prominent labeling which spells this out clearly."

In the U.K., there has been a sharp increase in obesity rates. In 1993 13 percent of men and 16 percent of women were obese. By in 2011 this rose to 24 percent for men and 26 percent for women. For 2014 the overall rate stood at 25 percent of all adults. With children aged 4-5 years, almost 10 percent of them were classed as obese.

In related food and health news, doctrines are recommending that, based on the typical sugar consumption consumed per person per year, that everyone should be making at least a 50 percent reduction in the amount of sugar they eat. This is to off-set the risk of obesity and associated ill-health effects like tooth decay.